Heading-knife for milo and the like.



n. L. DAVID.

HEADINE KNIFE FOR MILO 'AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION vHLEu JAN. 1|. lala.

1,26%548., Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

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`iainiinriiie-irNirii ren Nino AND fri-in mitin.

`@Specicationof Lettens Patent. i

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Application flied January 1i, 191s.` seriali No. 211,388. r

To allwlrontzt may concert/1,

zen ofthe UnitedStates,and a resident of San J ose, in the county ofSanta Clara and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Heading-Knife for Milolandthel like, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description-` Y a `My invention relates to heading knives adapted to be applied to the right orleft hand,or both, and is more particularly in tended `for nsein harvesting `milo, Kafir` corn, Egyptian corn, andthe like. j

Particularly the invention relates to head 1 ing knives of the type including a finger blade and a coacting relatively fixed cutter` disposed on the hand `at the palm.

j Objects of the invention are to improve heading knives of the character` Yindicated with respect to the form andrelation of the finger blade and coacting cutter; to provide a novel `hand-piece `mounting the relatively fixed cutter; to provide a novel arrangement of straps for securing the hand-piece to the hand; to `provide a novel finger-pieceoii the finger blade; to `provide a finger strap novel in its relation to the finger-piece.`

. Other objects of the invention andfvarious 'l distinctive features will appear asV the description proceeds. 1 j k Reference is to be had to the accompany-` ing drawings forming a part of this specification in whichsimilar reference characters indicate corresponding parts `in all the views, it being understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of one example of the invention. a

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one of my devices as applied to the left hand, the view showing the hand closed,`

following the cutting and grasping ofthe head of milo or corn after `the same has been severed from the stalk. a portion ofthe stalk from which the head has been severed applied in Fig. 2, illustrating the pivoted finger bladein the closed position,"portions of the hand straps being broken away;` j

Fig. 4 is aside elevation of the right hand heading knife "shown in Figs. 2 and 3, il1us-` l a a trating the same with tliefingerblade swiing Be it known that LROYL. DAVID, a citi-j` to the open position," `and showing `the buckledposition` of the handstraps.`

linger-piece with thecutterremoved land v `portions ofthe hand strapsbeing brokenf away;

Fie' 4.

with myzinvention a pressed metal handpiece 10 is produced having along the rear edge thereof a` flange 11 curved to conform generally to the handat the rear portion 4 ofthe palm.` j At` the` front the hand-piece j has a-notch or cutaway as at 12. j Atthe i i thumb side lof the nger piece 10 a curved arm 13 is produced to lie between the thumb :and the first iiger and toFeXtend to the back of the hand. ln practice, the curved, arm 13 is covered with leather or Ilike soft material lil. The position of the` curved arm with its covering will be clear from a v comparison of Figs. land 2. The covering Fig. 7 is a cross section on the line T-7,

` n forming `a heading knife inaccordaiice 14 is shown held in place by rivets 15 and `oiie`of said rivets serves to secure one end of a hand strap ljwhich extends partially across the back of the `hand as best` seen in 1 i Fig. 1, the free end of the strap `16 `being passed through a tongue` buckle 17g The buckle 17 is onmone end ofa lwrist strap 18 which is secured as by airivet 19 or other ineans intermediate the 'sends of, said strap 18 to theliiiger-piece 10at the side` opposite the thumb arm 13. "Said buckle 17 in addi tion to adjustably receiving `the freeend` i of the back strap 16 receives also thefree end of the wrist strap 18;

A; cutter 20 is rigidly secured to the hand;`

piece "10. InI the preferred arrangement the material of thehand-piece, at .onefside of the notch l2, is` pressed upward toform a# Said bracket` 21, asbest seen inFigs. 4, 5

and 6, receives bolts 2Q, 23jfor bolting the cutter `20 in place. One holt 22 extends slotjwhich is of such shape andsize ras bracket 21 to which the knife 20` is secured; j

"throngha bolt hole 24; in the bracket 211, while the otherbolt"23 extends through a` j 105 to perniit a limited adjustment of `the cut i Fig. 4. Besides the bolt holes formed in the cutter 2O to receive the bolts 22, 23, an additional bolt hole 22u is formed as seen in Fig. 4, so that the blade may be moved forwardly on the hand-piece 1() by placing the bolt 22 in said bolt hole 222L instead of the position occupied by said bolt in Fig. 4, the bolt 23 then extending similarly through the sloty 25 but through the cutter 20 in the position at the bolt hole through which the bolt 22 extends in Fig. 4. The adjustment of the cutter 20 is to accommodate the said cutter and the position of the finger blade to the hand of the user.

The finger blade 26 is pivoted to the cutter20 by a rivet 27 or the like, so that said finger blade and cutter constitute in effect an articulated knife. Thus, the finger blade may bemoved to or from the cutting relation of the cutter 20 by a closing of the hand. The outward movement of the blade 26 is limited by coacting stop elements on said blade and on the cutter 20, said cutter having a stop lug 28 at its forward end against which va lateral stud or pin 29 on the blade 26 may contact.

Secured to the finger blade 26 is a fingerpiece 30 presenting arms at each side of said blade to receive the second and third fingers. The finger-piece is arched at the center as at 31, the sides of the arch being spaced to snugly accommodate the blade 26 as clearly shown in Fig. 3. An effective manner of securing the blade 26 in the arch 31 is to form a transverse hole 32 in Fig. 7 in said blade and punch the material of the one side of the arch as at 33 into said hole and against the opposite side of the arch. A finger strap 34 is provided on the fingerpiece 30 and extends freely at the approximatel center of the strap through a loop or keeper 35 on the arch of said finger-piece. The opposite ends of the strap 34 are turned .under the respective arms of thefingerpiece 30 and adj ustably secured thereto, there beingy shown for the purpose, holes 37 in the ends of the strap and a spur 38 on each arm of the finger-piece 30. Thus, either hole 37 on van end of the strap 34 may ba brought into position to receive the adjacent spur 38 for varying the effective size of the strap 34. The arrangement is such that said strap at the sides of the arch 31 and loop 35 receives the second and third fingers of a hand, 'the strap being free to accommodate itself to the size and movements of the respective fingers.

With the described construction of handpiece 10 and described arrangement of the straps 16, 18, said hand-piece is firmly secured in position and may be adjusted .with facility and despatch; at the same time the minimum discomfort is afforded the user. The manner of using the device will be obvious from the foregoing and it will be clear that both hands may be employed to grasp the stalk a in a manner to permit the head A to be severed and be held simply by the closing of the hand. It will be seen from a comaarison of Figs. 1 and 2 that the cutter has such a form and dimensions that the front end thereof will extend between the second and third fingers at the base thereof, and said fingers will be positioned on the nger 30 at the sides of the blade 26. The arms of the finger-piece are curved transversely. Also the securing of the hand-piece and the finger blade with its finger-piece is independently effected, the sole connection between the finger blade and its appurtenances and the cutter being through the medium of the pivot 27. The arrangement permits of the fingers accommodating themselves to the cutting and grasping movements With the maximum freedom and minimum strain.

I would state in conclusion that while thc illustrated example constitues a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied Without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A heading device of the class described including a hand-piece, means to secure the same to a hand, a cutter on the hand-piece, a finger blade pivotally mounted at the front end of the cutter, a finger-piece on said blade, the finger-piece being arched at the approximate center and presenting lateral arms at each side of the blade, the arched portion of the finger piece having spaced sides between which the blade is secured, and a finger strap on said finger-piece, the ends of the strap being secured to the arms of the finger-piece.

2. In a device of the class described having a cutter, and means to secure the cutter on the hand; a finger blade pivotally connected with the cutter, means on said blade presenting lateral arms at the sides of the blade to receive the fingers, a finger strap secured at its ends at each side of the blade and extending over the latter, and a loop at the back of the finger blade through which loop said strap freely passes.

3. In a device of the class described having a cutter, and means to secure the cutter on the hand; a finger blade pivotally connected with the cutter, means on said blade presenting lateral arms at the sides of the blade to receive the fingers, a finger strap at the back of the blade, said strap having at the ends thereof series of holes and spurs on the arms of the finger-piece optionally receivable in the holes of the strap to adjustably retain the strap in position.

mecca@ M 4L. In a device ofthe class described have betweendwhich the blade is eceived, said ing a cutter, and means to secure the cutter blade having a transverse hole and onelwall" on the hand; a linger blade pivotally conof thearch of the finger-piece having an 10` neoted with the cutter,` a linger piece on indentation extending into sadhole in the 5 the blade and presenting lateral arms at blade.

each side of the blade and an approximately p p l Y l a l i central arch, the arch having spaced sides a ROY L; DAVID.`

Uopies of this patent may be obtained foi` five uente each, buy addressing the Commissioner of Intenta. i a

i Waahlngtoml). p l 

